The Cabin In The Woods
by mamabee
Summary: What happens to Oliver and Felicity after the end of season 3. Do they really know each other as well as they thought? What happens when all that is left is just being with each other? This story shows them dealing with their demons but also getting to know each other
1. Chapter 1

They pulled into a small grocer at the bottom of the mountain, a sort of last resort for the privileged few who lived nearby. Felicity stepped out of the car, shivered, and pulled her ski coat tighter around her body. The snow was slowly falling and the silence was almost deafening. The air was crisp and clean and she breathed in what felt like baptismal oxygen – a replenishing of the soul. Starling City felt like it was on the other side of the world even though it was only a two-day drive. Oliver silently offered his hand and they walked into the store. "Let's just grab some things to tie us over for a couple of days and then we can decide what we want to do from there".

Felicity nodded and smiled. There didn't feel like there was anything left to say. They were together, with nowhere to go and nobody needing them. Oliver grabbed a basket and they started wandering through the small aisles of the store. Felicity grabbed a half-gallon of milk and Oliver snickered. The sound made her look up to see him smiling, "I'm actually allergic to milk."

Felicity hesitated with the milk in her hand, she raised her eyebrows and snapped, "You mean all Ra's needed to do was give you a cup of milk and you would have crumpled?" Oliver giggled and nodded, "pretty much." Felicity put the milk back and grabbed a small carton of unsweetened almond milk. They continued gathering a variety of yogurt, cheese, eggs, bread and other basics. Felicity started for the check out when Oliver paused, "hang on" and he took a couple of quick strides across the store, down an aisle and grabbed a large box of Cheez-its. Felicity cocked her head to one side and said, "really?" and Oliver shrugged his shoulders and said, "they've always been my favorite".

They unloaded their bags into the car and made their way up the remote road winding around the side of the mountain. Periodically they would pass a set of gates that eluded to a large cabin, another residence of the wealthy and privileged. Large Aspen trees crowded the road and periodically Felicity could spot a deer in the woods or even a fox. Snow covered everything and she felt like they were driving through a postcard. They had said little to each other during their long drive. The silence felt like a warm blanket that allowed them to just be in each other's presence.

Finally Oliver made a slow right turn onto a gravel driveway that took a steep incline into a covered parking spot about 500 yards off the road. Standing by the door was a tall thin woman in a matching snowsuit. She was obviously cold and obviously trying to hide it. She smiled brightly when she saw Oliver. He parked the car and stepped out, "Ms. Masterson, it is so good of you to meet us here" She perked up when Oliver spoke her name.

"Oh, of course Mr. Queen. I couldn't let you arrive without making sure everything was in good shape. It's been so long since your family has used this place I thought you were planning on selling it. Imagine my delight when I received your message." And with that she pointedly looked at Felicity as if waiting for an introduction but Oliver gave none.

"Yes. Well, we have no intentions of selling but it is nice to be back" and with that he held out his hand in anticipation of the keys.

She met his look and hesitated as if she was still hoping for that introduction, "Oh! Yes, you must be tired. Here are the keys. The heater has been turned on, the fireplace is lit and the beds all have fresh sheets. Let me know if you need anything else" and with that Ms. Masterson slowly made her way down the driveway to the Jeep that was waiting at the bottom.

Oliver opened the door and held out his hand for Felicity to follow him. The "cabin" wasn't at all what she expected. It was smaller than the Queen mansion but still large compared to any of the mobile homes or apartments she had ever lived in. The door opened up to a large room with a cathedral ceiling. A railing could be spotted at the top, indicating a loft bedroom. The walls were all covered in cedar with animal antlers and heads tastefully decorated, the way Moira would have liked. To the left was a large dining room with an antler chandelier and beautifully handcrafted wood table with six high backed chairs surrounding it. The large family room and beautiful leather couches that were beckoning to Felicity. She could tell there were more bedrooms and a kitchen down the hall but this was enough for now.

"You really are rich aren't you?"

Oliver laughed, "Yes, I am."

Felicity dropped her bag along with her jacket and walked over to the first large couch and collapsed, slipped off her boots and let out a large sigh, "I could stay on this couch for a week"

Oliver cocked his head to one side and walked over and slumped down next to her, wrapping his arms around her, "well, that's good since that was the idea." Felicity shifted up against him and sighed. Oliver sensed that she had something on her mind, "What is it?"

She sat up and turned towards him, "On one hand I love the fact that one simple sigh tells you that I'm thinking about something. On the other hand it bothers me that I didn't know you couldn't drink milk and that your favorite snack food is Cheez-Its".

Oliver played with Felicity's fingers, "To be honest, I'd forgotten that I like Cheez-Its until I was standing in the grocery store. I know that our relationship hasn't always been 'normal' – and we haven't gotten to know each other the way most couples do but that is why we are here." She nodded and leaned in for an innocent kiss.

"Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know you Oliver Queen." And she smiled with a slight twinkle dancing in her eyes.

Oliver stood up, "Okay. The bedroom is upstairs, the hot tub is in the back, and the kitchen is down the hall. Why don't you go upstairs and unpack and I'll load the groceries into the kitchen."

Felicity looked up at him innocently and in faux innocence responded, "Oh, does this mean we're staying in the same room?" Oliver extended his hand and pulled her forcefully up from the couch, causing her to fall against his chest. He pulled her tight, and grazed her ears with his lips, "I may never let you leave that room." And a spark of electricity shot through Felicity.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Here is chapter 2. I've got two more chapters written and I hope to continue the story through the summer. Welcome to hiatus people.**_

Felicity climbed up the wood circular stairway and let out a small gasp. The room was larger than she anticipated. In the center sat a large king size bed in a log bed frame, covered in white linens with a red intricately sewn quilt at the foot. The bed was covered with more pillows than Felicity could count and the whole thing oozed luxury. Across from the bed was a low dresser with a large TV hanging above it. The far wall had large floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the mountains, a view that would be enviable even to a bird. She walked over to the double doors on the other side of the room and opened them up to find a bathroom that was bigger than her apartment. A large round tub was in one corner, with a glass chandelier-hanging overhead. A long white marble counter stretched far down one side of the room with two sinks and more mirrors than she would care for in a room where she would be naked. The shower was at the opposite end of the room and had glass double doors, two showerheads on opposing sides of the walls and a large bench. Felicity felt her heart beat a little faster. To the right was another set of double doors and when she opened them up there was a closet about the size of her entire bedroom back in Starling City and it was full – with the clothing of Oliver's parents. She let out a small sigh realizing the activity that lay ahead of her and Oliver. She set her bag down and walked back into the bedroom where she found Oliver sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well? What do you think? A good place to get to know each other?"

Felicity smiled and walked slowly over to Oliver. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his lap. She kissed the top of his head, his forehead, his cheek, "Oh yes, it's perfect. This place is beautiful and cozy and HUGE". Oliver let out a small chuckle and pulled Felicity close to him and let them both fall backwards on the bed. She giggled and propped herself up so she was leaning on Oliver's chest staring him in the eyes. "Well, we do have one little task ahead of us this week" Oliver's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and he sat up on his elbows. Felicity continued, "The closet is full of your parent's clothes. And I suspect that more of their things are probably in the house as well." Oliver let out a big, heavy sigh.

He covered his eyes with his arm, "I miss them." Felicity rolled off of Oliver and sat cross-legged next to him. Her hand tracing gentle strokes down his chest, "I know you do." Oliver propped himself up on the multitude of pillows and looked at Felicity, "Eight years ago the boat sank and I've never had a single day to grieve and since then I've lost my Dad, my Mom, my best friend and an ex-girlfriend. I miss them all." Felicity's heart broke for him. He was a broken man – she knew that – but even a broken man deserves time to grieve. She grabbed his hand and looked up at him, "Well, now you have the time, and it's okay to be sad about it." And the tears fell. The tears that Oliver had kept for so long suddenly streamed down his face and his shoulders shook with sadness and Felicity gathered him in her arms. She cried with him, slowly stroking his back. She said nothing. There were no words to say to a man who had gone through so much – he deserved the space to crumble and so she let him. He cried until there was nothing left and sleep over took him.

Felicity gently pulled the red quilt over his shoulders, tucked a pillow under his head and allowed him to rest peacefully.

She grabbed the satellite phone from her bag and walked downstairs and out the front door. She quickly punched some numbers into the phone and waited. The phone rang only once when she heard Diggle's familiar voice on the other end.

Diggle gruffly answered, "Hey. You guys safe?"

Felicity whispered, even though she was outside, "Yes, we made it just fine. We ended up at the Queen mountain lodge. Who knew such a thing existed?"

"You always underestimate how rich he really is. How's he doing?"

"Not great. He's tired, emotional, lost. This may take some time"

"Okay, well no rush here. Laurel, Thea and I have things pretty well managed."

"Any word on Ray?"

"No, they haven't found anything of him in the rubble or any trace of his existence. Something isn't right. When I hear I'll let you know."

"Ok – thanks Digg"

"Felicity, you take good care of our boy"

"Of course"

And with that Felicity hung up and walked quietly back into the cabin. The sun was low in the sky and with the tall Aspen trees blocking anything of a sunset she decided she would stop fighting her own fatigue and join Oliver in a much-deserved rest.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: This whole series is about "normal" couple relationships interspersed with the aftermath of living a high-stress traumatic life. So some things will see everyday and others not so much**_

Felicity woke up to sun streaming in through the windows. The bed was amazing. It was like waking up in a cloud. The sheets, the pillows, the softness just made her want to crawl back under the covers but then she realized he was missing. She shot up out of bed and started yelling, "OLIVER?!" the silence that met her was frightening. She rummaged for her glasses on the nightstand and ran down the stairs tripping over the last two, "OLIVER?" There was no answer. She ran into the kitchen, down the hall noting the additional staircase going downstairs indicating an entirely different floor of the house. Felicity mumbled, "This place is really huge." She kept yelling "OLIVER?" but she received nothing in response. She ran down the stairs to see a full game room with pool table, and a laundry room but no Oliver. She ran upstairs and into the backyard seeing the large hot tub and giant deck and an expanse of woods, but no Oliver. She ran out into the front yard to see their car still in the carport but no Oliver. The cold now settling in as she realized she was standing in the snow in her bare feet with only her lightweight pajama bottoms and tank top. Her teeth started chattering. A light snow had begun to fall and in the silence with Aspen trees closing in around her Felicity felt small and alone. She walked back inside the house, grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and collapsed. He was gone. He had left. She had always been stoic in the face of Oliver's departures – knowing that each time he was taking a bit of her heart and her trust along with him. She always tried not to cry but this time felt different. The tears came and she didn't fight it.

Just as her tears were starting to turn into full sobs the front door opened and their stood Oliver in sweatpants, a long sleeve t-shirt, and running shoes. Seeing Felicity noticeably upset he ran and kneeled on the floor next to the couch, "hey, are you okay?" Felicity looked up through tears and her long hair, "You came back?" The confusion on his face was notable and he pulled away, "Of course I came back. I just went for a run this morning. I like to run. Did you think I had left you?" Felicity sat fully up on the couch and pulled her hair out of her face, wiped her tears and looked pointedly at Oliver, "you always leave and lately it has been questionable regarding whether you would return" Oliver fell back on his heels and let out a big sigh, his eyebrows raised. The realization of what he had been doing to Felicity this past year hit him squarely in the chest and he felt horrible. "I'm so sorry Felicity. I never meant…I mean I didn't intend…I just didn't realize what I was doing – to you."

Felicity got up from the couch and stood up with her arms crossed. Her expression of fear and hurt quickly turning to anger, "Well let me illuminate you. My father left me at 8 years old so it's pretty clear that I have an abandonment issue and what have you done to me this past year? You have abandoned me – THREE TIMES! So just know that going forward you are not allowed to leave me EVER! And I mean EVER! FOR ANYTHING! If you go to the store you leave a damn note! IS THAT CLEAR?"

Oliver slowly stood up, a small smile playing across his face. He gently held Felicity's face and tilted her head up so he could look directly into her eyes. "I promise you Felicity Smoak that I will never leave you again – for any reason – and if I do I will leave a note." He gently kissed her and pulled her tight against his chest. He let out a long sigh and said, "See, we had our first fight – just like a normal couple"


	4. Chapter 4

Felicity took a warm shower but even with both showerheads pouring water she felt cold and alone. She was ashamed for crying so quickly over something so silly. What had gotten into her? She had never been prone to emotional outbursts but perhaps she too was a bit more damaged than she realized. The last three years had been tough on her as well and perhaps she wasn't giving herself enough credit. She turned off the water and let the final drips echo in the cavernous shower. She stepped out, dried off and grabbed one of the overly fluffy and luxurious white terry robes hanging on a hook nearby. She squeezed the extra water out of her hair and tied it up in a lose knot on the top of her head. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were still rimmed red and even though she had slept for a good twelve hours she still looked tired. This process of rebuilding, connecting, figuring things out – yeah, it was going to take time. She walked downstairs still wrapped securely in her robe to find Oliver standing at the stove cooking. Good smells filled the air and Felicity's stomach let out a little growl reminding her that she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. She leaned over the island counter, "Whatchya cookin'?"

Oliver gave a small hum and turned around with two plates, "Well, I don't know how to cook much but I do know how to make a simple mushroom omelet" and he held out two questionable looking omelets.

"Well, they smell delicious and I'm hungry." They sat across from each other at one end of the table eating their simple meal. Felicity gently laid her fork down and cleared her throat, "I'm sorry I sort of fell apart. I'm not usually like that." Oliver wiped his mouth with a red cloth napkin and set it aside.

"No big deal. We both have kept a lot of things inside, - buried. Again, that is why we are here and not in Starling City. I want to give us the best chance I can and that wouldn't happen if we just kept moving forward and didn't take time to do this right." She stared intently at Oliver. How did she find this man? Where did he come from? Who is this life-altering force of nature that turned her world upside down? And when did she fall so madly in love with him? She stood up from the table turned around, took two steps towards the stairs, undid her robe and let it drop to the ground. She glanced flirtatiously over her bare shoulder and said, "Aren't you coming?" and she headed upstairs to the bedroom.

They lazily stayed in bed, making love, sleeping and talking well into the afternoon. Ever so slowly a natural comfort began to develop – their own personal ebb and flow. Oliver got out of bed and pulled a t-shirt over his head and started searching for his sweatpants in the pile of pillows and clothes that had amassed on the floor. Felicity propped herself up on her elbows, "What ya' doing?"

He stood back up with a look of triumph as he had located his pants. "Aha! Here they are!" He continued talking, as he got dressed, "I used to love watching football with Tommy on Sundays. He'd come over to my house and we'd sit for hours just watching games. It's been forever since I've watched any sporting event of any kind. So, I think I'm going to go downstairs and find a game that has a ball and a score and see if I still like watching." The look of satisfaction on his face warmed Felicity's heart. He was like a little boy who had remembered that he had candy stored in a secret location and was going to go retrieve it.

She smiled and sat up. "I think that is a great idea. I'll join you. I might even make snacks." He leaned down and kissed her forehead and then almost with a skip headed down the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: For those of you wondering where the dark stuff is, well it is coming. The time away isn't going to be all fun and games. Yes, domesticity, but there is no forgetting the demons that lurk just below the surface, for both of them. Thanks for all the "favorites", "follows" and "comments" - y'all rock**_

Felicity wandered down the stairs in black yoga pants, a white t-shirt and a bright pink cardigan sweater. Her hair was in a messy braid on one side of her head and in her hand was a book of crossword puzzles. Oliver was sprawled on the couch in grey flannel pants and a white t-shirt and the noise of what appeared to be a hockey game was playing on the TV. As she walked in front of him he sat up and made space next to him for her to sit. "C'mon and sit down. The LA Kings are playing the Canucks" Felicity nodded pretending to know what he was talking about and sat down next to him, pulling her legs up underneath her so she was angled against his chest. She pulled out her puzzles and started reading clues. She could feel his chest raise and lower as he breathed and the relative normalcy of the situation washed over her. She kept looking at the same puzzle but her brain couldn't focus. She didn't realize how hard it was going to be to relax, to be normal, to NOT be thinking about criminals and crime bosses and super villains. This was only their fourth day away from Starling City, second day at the cabin and already she was feeling antsy. She shifted positions, moving to the other side of the couch and tucked her feet under Oliver's leg. She tried starting her puzzle again. Oliver glanced over and caught a glimpse of the book and a giggle bubbled up and he asked, "What you got there? A crossword? Are you like 100 years old?"

Felicity looked up and adjusted her glasses. "Well, you should know that during my off time I like to work crossword puzzles. Research has proven that doing puzzles prevents long term memory loss."

Oliver nodded in understanding, "Alrighty" He reached down and grabbed the open box of Cheez-Its that had been concealed by his legs and started grabbing large handfuls and shoving them in his mouth. After a quiet twenty minutes during which Felicity got zero accomplished and Oliver had eaten at least half the box of Cheez-its he turned the volume down on the game. "Mom used to not let us have junk food in the house but Tommy would bring boxes of Cheez-its with him when he came to watch football. It sort of became a tradition. It's weird sometimes the things you miss about a person."

Felicity put her puzzle down and just nodded in agreement, giving him space to talk if he wanted. "When I was on the island Tommy and Laurel were the two people that kept me tied to my former life – and Thea, of course."

Felicity took a deep breath, "Tell me one of your favorite memories about Tommy"

Oliver turned on the couch so he could see Felicity, "I don't think I have a single memory but a collection. A collection of picking up girls and going to parties and getting kicked out of schools and having a brother of sorts." He hung his head in shame at the recollection of his former self, "I was a selfish, naïve and a ridiculous rich playboy. You wouldn't have liked me if you had known me then."

Felicity rubbed the side of his leg with her foot, "Well, I was a goth, hacker, social activist before graduation and you probably wouldn't have liked me either"

Oliver pressed his lips together and fought back a smile. "I don't know, I wasn't very picky in my twenties." Felicity kicked him firmly and he laughed out loud. A real loud laugh and it warmed Felicity to see him so happy.

Felicity waited for his laughter to stop and then cocked her head to one side and said, "Do you ever wish you had never left on the Gambit?"

Oliver pressed his lips together and looked away from Felicity, "Yes and No. I wish I hadn't taken Sara with me and changed her in a way that she never could come back. I wish I hadn't hurt Thea and my mother but I was selfish and stupid before I left and I'm not sure that would have changed if I hadn't drifted onto Lian Yu. In many ways I found both the best and worst versions of myself on that island." He turned his head and gently stroked Felicity's leg, "and I never would have met you and Diggle and those are two things that have been worth every minute I was on that island." Felicity blushed and looked down. Oliver's voice rose in an effort to get her attention back on him, "Felicity? I want you to understand something." She raised her eyes and met his stare. "Before I left on the Gambit Laurel had asked me to move in with her. I loved her but I was stupid and scared. Every relationship I ever had before then I had sabotaged one way or another – Laurel was no different. I took Sara knowing that would split us up. I didn't want commitment." Oliver paused for a minute and reflected on his poor behavior.

Felicity wasn't sure where Oliver was going with this line of conversation and it was starting to make her nervous, "And now?"

Oliver perked up and looked at her with a smile, "Being here, with you, is perfect. Being with you doesn't feel scary. It feels comfortable. It feels right. I can't imagine ever wanting to be with anyone else." Felicity dropped her book and lunged towards Oliver, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Her legs wrapping around his waist as she maneuvered into his lap. Her hands brushing through his hair as she hungrily tugged at his lips with her teeth. Oliver finally pulled back and said, "Babe, at this rate you might break something" she blushed and fell back into her original position on the couch.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to post this next chapter. Holiday, college graduations, etc, etc. I'm working on 7 but haven't worked out the kinks.**_

Felicity didn't know what time it was. She could still see the full moon glistening off the snow outside of the bedroom window. Oliver's moaning woke her up. It was a nightly occurrence – the nightmares. Sometimes he told her what they were about but more often he just barely acknowledged her and then got out of bed and walked outside. She hadn't tried to talk to him about it, wasn't sure if it was her business. He let out a muffled cry and she couldn't stand it. She leaned over on one elbow and slightly nudged him, "Oliver. Oliver, wake up. It's just a dream."

In one quick action he flung his arm across her neck and pinned her down by her throat. His eyes wide open with a panic and confusion she had never seen. He was choking her. She grabbed both his hands pulling on them to get him to release but he didn't budge. She barely squeaked out, "Oliver, it's me. It's Felicity" He blinked hard, let go of her throat and fell back on his knees. The realization of what he did quickly washing over him. Felicity sat up rubbing her neck and gulping in large amounts of air. He started to shake and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…I just." And he got up and ran downstairs and out of the house. Felicity hollered after him, "Oliver don't! Stay! It's okay!" but she was too late, he was gone.

She sat there for a moment not sure what to do. Equally afraid to both chase him and to leave him alone. She walked into the bathroom, turned on the light and drank a glass of water. Her breathing, heart rate and emotions slowly became normal again. She threw on her bathrobe and slippers and headed for the front of the house. She found him shivering, sitting on a wood log next to a small campfire. "Is this where you go every night?"

He didn't even turn around. "Yeah. It takes me a while to get rid of the images in my head. " She nudged him slightly and sat down.

"Are they different dreams or the same one every night?"

"It used to just be me falling off the mountain, but since coming here it has been more about Hong Kong and the person I became while I was there." He absently poked a log in the fire, "the things that I did."

"That's probably because you are allowing yourself to feel stuff – both the good and the bad. You're feeling loved but with that comes the pain."

Oliver breathed in deeply and let out a large sigh. "Yeah, I suppose you're right"

"You've opened the flood gates Oliver, the emotions are going to start coming faster and less controlled." And she reached out and grabbed his hand, "but that is why we are here. That is why we planned on being gone a long time, or as long as it takes."

He squeezed Felicity's hand and stared into the flames of the campfire.

"I've always justified the people that I've killed, the torture I inflicted as part of my survival but somewhere - sometime while in Hong Kong that changed I just never changed my justification. I hurt people that were not threatening me. I purposefully and consciously tortured people."

Felicity didn't know what to say. She had never experienced even close to what he had experienced and she wasn't sure how to help him.

"I'm a monster."

Felicity sat up straight, "No Oliver, no you.."

And he cut her off, looking straight at her, "Don't Felicity. Don't justify it. I've tortured people. I've killed people, and after awhile I stopped even thinking about what I was doing."

He got up and walked to the other side of the fire as if trying to remove himself from anything that awakened emotions within him. Felicity sat quiet and stared at the fire for a long quiet moment before she stood up and tried again.

"I know you have killed and tortured – but you have also been tortured yourself and have found yourself fighting for your life more than once. You're not a killer Oliver, and you're not a victim – you are a survivor. You have said before that nothing good happened during those five years but you endured them and survived them. You can let those five years define you forever or you can look at it as a single chapter in the book of your life. Perhaps now is the time to close that chapter."

Oliver said nothing, his expression emotionless as he mindlessly poked the fire. She took a deep breath and continued, "I know this isn't similar, but when my Dad left I felt like I would forever be the daughter of a cocktail waitress, repeating the mistakes of my mother, choosing bad relationships, and bad careers and I suppose for awhile I allowed myself to be defined by those things – an unwanted child with a single uneducated mother. Then one day I was just done with it all – I wanted to define myself. I didn't want the things that happened TO ME to have the final say regarding Felicity Smoak."

Oliver met Felicity's stare, "I don't want to carry this around any more. The fear. The anger, the sick feeling in my stomach, how do I make it stop?"

"I'm not sure Oliver. But I think you need to stop blaming yourself and punishing yourself for the mistakes and choices you made. Let the past be the past. You need to start living again."

Felicity walked closer, and kissed him gently on his cheek. "I'm going back to bed. Come back in when you are ready." And with that she left Oliver to stand in the quiet snow.

Oliver kicked a pile of snow that had already started to melt due to its proximity to the fire, the resulting slush proved less satisfactory than he had hoped. He knew Felicity was right. He knew he needed to let go, it was just that he had been holding on for so long that he wasn't sure how to even start to let go. He stared at the fire letting Felicity's words tumble around in his head until just before dawn. He had the beginnings of a plan and tomorrow he would start putting it in place.


	7. Chapter 7

When Felicity woke up she found Oliver next to her so he must have eventually come back to bed, she just had no idea when. She quietly slipped out of bed and lightly walked downstairs. She walked onto the back porch to watch the deer wander through the backyard. The view of the mountain range was gorgeous. Aspen trees cocooned the house and there was little underbrush due to the dense canopy. Deer and rabbits skittered through the wilderness like it was a live action Disney movie. There were no sounds but the rustle of leaves and the slight chirping of birds. She sighed deeply and made a decision. She quietly mumbled to herself, "All this relaxation is not for me" and with that she went inside.

She quickly changed into jeans and a simple sweater with her red winter boots and matching ski jacket. She then grabbed the car keys off the hook by the backdoor and headed for the closest town. Felicity needed WiFi and she needed it NOW.

The closest town was perhaps thirty miles away and three blocks long with the requisite coffee shop, diner, outdoor supply store, upscale restaurant, and a couple of boutique clothing stores, a town that was built to accommodate wealthy tourists. She pulled the Land Rover into a parking space in front of the coffee shop, which displayed a "Free Wifi" sign in the front window. She checked her cell phone and saw that it had enough charge and coverage that she could make a call. She scrolled through her contacts and hit "Diggle".

Within seconds the familiar tenor tones of Diggle came through the phone,

"Felicity! How's it going?"

"It's going fine Digg. The solitude is starting to make me crazy though. I need something electronic. I drove into town for Wifi – I'm in withdrawal"

Diggle let out a short chuckle, "That's my girl"

"Any news?"

Diggle's voice grew serious, "Well yeah. If you have Wifi we could use some help on a couple of things. We're not getting anything official on Ray, and Lyla is being tight lipped so could you work some back channel magic for me on that?"

"Yep. Anything else?"

"Yeah, and this is the bigger issue. A lot of the local gangs are starting to run a bit scared and there are rumblings that Damien Darhk is going to be making a play for Starling City – We have nothing on this guy – we don't even know what he looks like and with Ra's so eager to take him out I'd like to have a head start before he actually shows up."

"Got it. Okay, give me sometime and I'll send you what I find."

"Does Oliver know you've got Wifi?"

Felicity let the phone fall silent for a moment, and she carefully said, "Noooooo, he's sleeping." She quickly followed up with "But Digg I'm dying. I can't do crossword puzzles any more."

Diggle just laughed, "sure thing Felicity. Don't ruin your alone time by doing these searches, we can live without it."

Felicity hung up, took a big breath and grabbed her tablet from her bag and headed into the coffee shop. She ordered a tall latte with cinnamon and grabbed a small table in the corner. The coffee shop was bustling with a mix of mountain hippies, wealthy families here to ski and retired locals. Felicity breathed in the smell of coffee and let out a quite purr as her tablet connected to the internet. Finally. Her fingers quickly flew over the keyboard and she felt a sense of calmness – something she really hadn't felt in days.

Oliver awoke to the sound of car tires crunching on the gravel driveway. He rolled over and felt the empty space where Felicity had been. He didn't get out of bed. Instead he lay still in the bed pretending to still be asleep.

Two hours later Felicity quietly opened the back door, replacing the keys on the hook. She gently walked down the hall and into the family room cautiously looking for Oliver. All was quiet. Felicity took off her ski coat and hung it in the coat closet, leaving her boots underneath. She tucked her tablet and cell phone under the couch. She grabbed the book of crossword puzzles and curled up on the couch hoping that when Oliver woke up he would not be suspicious.

Oliver waited quietly for ten minutes and got out of bed and slipped on his grey flannel pants, tied a knot and skipped the shirt. He walked down the stairs slowly. Felicity looked up and smiled, "hey, good morning. Well, it's really afternoon. I guess you finally fell asleep huh?"

He continued down the stairs and took his place on the couch next to her. "yep"

Felicity felt nervous but she figured that was just her imagination. Surely he didn't suspect anything – how would he even know. She gave him a warm smile and returned to her crossword puzzle.

Oliver waited patiently; he didn't like the idea of the two of them keeping secrets. "You want to tell me where you went this morning?" and he looked pointedly at Felicity with his arms crossed.

Felicity swallowed hard and put her crossword puzzle down. She hesitated- she thought about lying but knew how bad she was at it and figured he would find out eventually. She took a deep breath and blurted out the truth, "I went into town because I needed Wifi! You don't understand Oliver. I..I just can't live without my computers I'm going crazy in this cabin. And besides, you were sleeping and I didn't think it would harm anything so I made a quick call to Diggle and helped him with a couple of small things – I mean really small things. Like no biggie right? But I can't live without technology Oliver, I just can't and you need to know this about me. You need to understand what this means to me. It's just…" And Oliver placed his hand on Felicity's shoulders calming her down, indicating that she had said enough.

A warm smile spread on his face and he quietly said, "You mean that you snuck out of the house to call Diggle, check on Starling City and surf the web and you were afraid I would be angry?" Felicity just nodded silently.

Oliver sighed, "I owe you an apology." Felicity was confused and her eyebrows knitted together unsure of what he was talking about. "I dragged you up to this mountain, away from your job and your friends just because I needed to get away. I didn't think about what you needed. I'm sorry Felicity. I won't do that again. Of course you need Wifi – I've been selfish my whole life and I'm sorry that I'm not better about thinking of you."

Felicity didn't say anything but just leaned forward, stroked his face gently and kissed him, "I love you."

Oliver smiled, pressed his forehead to hers and said, "I love you too." He pulled back taking her hands in his, "and I have a surprise for you."

Felicity's eyebrows shot up and she adjusted her glasses, "you do?"

"Yes, I do. I stayed up last night thinking about all the things you said and I realized that my life has been on hold for too long. I need to let the past be the past. So.." and with that he stood up, "I was wondering if you would be willing to go on a second date with me?"

Felicity giggled and blushed slightly, "a second date?"

Oliver grabbed Felicity's hands and pulled her up to stand next to him, "Yes. Our first date was blown up – as you know – and if I had been smarter I would have asked you out on a second date, but I didn't. Our relationship has developed all backwards and upside down but I intend to fix some of that – starting tonight. I'd like to take you out to dinner."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: ACCIDENTALLY UPLOADED THE WRONG CONTENT EARLIER! SORRY! Enjoying some vacation time so my next update might not be for awhile. I'm having so much fun writing this story that I'm hoping I can continue to update throughout the summer**_

Oliver spent the day putting his past behind him. He bagged up his parent's clothes in silent solemnity, quietly saying goodbye. He left several pieces that he thought either himself or Felicity might like – a charcoal suit that he remembered his Dad wearing; a fur trimmed coat that had belonged to his mother; small mementos for a life that used to be his.

He went for a run to clear his head and when he returned Felicity was in the shower preparing for their date. He didn't want to intrude on her privacy so he grabbed his things and slipped into the bathroom downstairs. Each of them nervously dressing like a couple of teenagers preparing for prom.

He stepped into the family room wearing the charcoal grey suit from his Dad's closet, white shirt and a matching grey and blue striped tie. He sat on the edge of the couch nervously tapping his foot, his black sleek wingtips dancing up and down. He didn't know why he was nervous but it felt good. The nervous energy made him feel alive and encouraged him to put the past behind him.

Felicity emerged slowly down the stairs, her high heels gently tapping on each step until she stood before him. Her golden hair gently flowing down her back with a soft wave. She wore a red dress similar to the one she had worn on their first date. In her arm she held the fur coat that Oliver had laid out for her from his mother. She looked amazing and Oliver caught his breath in his throat as he stood up to greet her.

Softly he held out his hand and quietly said, "You look beautiful. Thank you for wearing that dress." She grabbed his hand and continued walking close to him, "I thought if we were going to have a 'do-over' it should be done right" and she squeezed his hand. Oliver took the coat from her arm and held it up for her to slide into. It was a beautiful black knee-length coat with a black fur trim all down the collar and front. It fit Felicity perfect, although perhaps hitting her a bit further down the leg since she was several inches shorter than Moira. Felicity turned to face Oliver and he admired her – his two favorite women represented in one person. Felicity smiled and said, "Where are we going?"

Oliver took her hand and started for the door, "Well, there aren't a lot of options in this small town, but there is this one bistro that is connected to a local vineyard that my family used to visit when we came here. I've called down there today and I reserved the Chef's table."

"That sounds lovely"

Oliver held Felicity's hand as he helped her into the Land Rover and they started their way down the mountain and into town. "Thea and I used to hate coming to the cabin. It always felt boring and tedious, mandatory family time and all of that. Now, I look back on those trips and miss the innocence of that time. Thea and I were so naïve regarding the world or people or even our own parents. Now, it feels like we've been stripped of all of that – forced to face the ugliest parts of everything."

Felicity stared out the window watching the Aspens thin out as they came into a lower elevation; the road getting steadier and more signs of civilization began to appear. "Yes, but with that knowledge you have been given more opportunities to help people – people who cannot help themselves and isn't that a better legacy for your parents to leave than a couple of naïve spoiled brats?"

Oliver mumbled, partly to himself, "Yes, I suppose."

Oliver pulled the Land Rover into a small parking lot in front of a two story Victorian home that had a small shingle hanging on the door that read "Elan". Oliver helped Felicity out of the car and steadied her across the parking lot and into the house where a small podium with a tall thin man met them. His face lit up when he saw Oliver and he quickly came around the front of the podium and held out his hand "Bonjour Oliver! It is so very good to see you again sir." And he vigorously shook Oliver's hand. "Thank you so much for accommodating us Anton" The man then quickly turned his attention to Felicity. "Oh Monsieur it is our pleasure to have the Queen family back at Elan. And who is this?" and he grabbed Felicity's hand and gently kissed it. Oliver hesitated looking at Felicity, "This is Felicity Smoak." The tall man did not let go of her hand but instead gently held it with both of his thin bony fingers and nodded in agreement as if her name made perfect sense. "She is quite beautiful. But come, let me show you your table. The chef is quite excited to have you back."

Anton walked lightly and gingerly through the restaurant weaving his way through the few tables that were set up. The restaurant was dark; lit with mainly candle light. There was soft music playing although it was hard to identify where it came from. Anton pulled the chair out for Felicity at a small two-seat table, near the back of the restaurant. Oliver sat down and quickly asked Anton for two glasses of Merlot. Felicity sat erect in her chair avoiding eye contact with Oliver and he immediately sensed a chill fall between them.

"Is there something you want to say Felicity?"

She pressed her lips together and unnecessarily straightened the napkin in her lap. She sighed heavily and finally straightened her shoulders and looked Oliver squarely in the eye, "What am I Oliver?"

Oliver was visibly confused, with his eyebrows knitted together and his lips squirreled up to one side of his mouth. "Huh?"

"I don't want people to think I'm your secretary that you are having some sort of sordid affair – I thought I was your girlfriend. Is that wrong? Or are you just fundamentally allergic to that word or commitment of any kind?" And with that she plopped her hands in her lap as if to indicate that she was done talking.

Oliver's shoulders relaxed and his eyebrows unknotted and he thought carefully about his words. "No Felicity you are not my girlfriend. A girlfriend is something a child wants when they don't understand what love is really about. So no, you are NOT my girlfriend. You are my partner. You are my love; the part of me that makes me human. You are my anchor, my compass, my guiding light. So calling you 'girlfriend' feels like an insult to me."

Felicity smiled and said, "I guess that means you aren't my boyfriend"

"I hope that I am far more than that." And with that a comfortable silence fell between them. They ate their dinner, a combination of local game and French cuisine, in relative silence, speaking of only trivial subjects. The waiter placed two small ramekins of a cappuccino crème brulee on their table and walked away. Felicity smiled delicately and picked up her fork when Oliver interrupted. "So I was thinking that we might leave here in a couple of days."

Felicity's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "really?"

"Yea. I realize I know hardly anything about you, and I'd like to go to Vegas – see your Mom, and where you grew up. I want you to show me everything. I want to know everything there is to know about you."

Felicity could hardly form words from the shock of the suggestion "uh, yea. Sure. Um, it's not that exciting or luxurious, but sure, I would love to show you"

"Great, plus I know you would feel more comfortable if we were somewhere with reliable wifi – and Chinese takeout."

Felicity warmly smiled, "well, you obviously know the really important things about me." And they both giggled.


	9. Chapter 9

When dinner ended they were both feeling warm and hopeful. The air was crisp and they lingered in the parking lot watching the full moon. Oliver stepped closer and wrapping his hand around Felicity's waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Felicity hummed a little enjoying the warmth of Oliver's body so close to her own. He turned his head and murmured, "Are you ever going to tell me what Diggle wants you to research?" Felicity's body tensed. She felt bad for not being forthcoming. She pulled away and started walking to the car, "He's still looking for Damien Darhk and all the usual channels aren't working. He is also still trying to track down Ray." Oliver tried to hide a slight grimace at the mention of Ray's name but Felicity noticed. They each slid into the car and started driving in silence back to the cabin.

After awhile Felicity rested her hand on Oliver's knee and said, "Thank you for dinner, it was a lovely way to make up for our first date."

Oliver nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing. Felicity tapped her knee up and down and started biting her nails. A burgeoning sense of anxiety began to spread over her body. After several minutes of stone silence from Oliver she collapsed back into her verbal babbling.

"I ran a preliminary search for Dahrk but the guy is invisible. I mean it is almost freakish how non-existent he is. Of course I only have my tablet I would be able to do so much more with larger processing capacity and greater access to the internet. I tapped into some satellites to start running scans for Ray's nano-tech – you know thinking that perhaps that might lead us somewhere but I really didn't have time to search properly at the coffee house. I mean I'm sure he's fine and I know Diggle is doing a great job. I'm just looking for Ray because Diggle asked – I mean it's not like I personally need to find him. Well, I want to find him because he's a friend, you know like part of the team, like a human, right? I mean I would look for any human really." Oliver pulled the car to one side and onto the shoulder. He turned to Felicity, grabbed her face in both of his hands and kissed her. He kissed her hard, with passion and purpose as if he was trying to force her anxiety away with his lips. After a breathless moment Oliver pulled back and looked at her and sighed.

"I love you and I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out. To realize that if I wanted to live my life I needed to accept that. I'm not going to lie, your relationship with Ray…well, it bothered me. He's a good man Felicity. In many ways I'm still not sure why you aren't with him. Why you chose me?" and Oliver's voice trailed off.

Felicity sighed. "Ray told me that he loved me when he was in the hospital." Oliver's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Felicity with surprise all over his face. "I offered him Jello." Oliver's shoulders shook with quiet laughter. A small smile crawled across his face, "Are you serious?" Felicity started laughing too, "yeah. I really did that." Oliver started the car back up and pulled onto the road.

"Well, that had to hurt" and Oliver's shoulders lifted up in a moment of confidence.

"Yeah, I think that was the beginning of the end."

"And what was the end?" Oliver didn't take his eyes off the road and neither did Felicity.

"When I left town with you to go to Nanda Parbat – especially since I borrowed HIS plane."

"I want you to find him Felicity, because he's your friend and he's somebody who is important to you."

"Thank you. Ray allowed me to spread my wings professionally but he has never believed in me as much as you have Oliver. You have always seen strength and wisdom in me – sometimes things I haven't always seen in myself."

"Ok, I only have one more question to ask."

"What is it?"

Oliver raised his eyebrows and threw Felicity a sideways glance, "Besides the dress, is there anything else you're wearing that you had picked out special for our first date?"

Felicity's face felt warm with a flush of embarrassment and excitement. She twisted her fingers in her lap a little and coquettishly said, "Maybe."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: Yes, I totally want Donna back next season in a big, bad way. She is so awesome and I just can't imagine Oliver not liking her. She's sort of the best parts of Felicity**_

They pulled up in front of Donna Smoak's townhome, where the owner was jumping up and down in a very small pair of white shorts, and a shocking pink tank top. Her hair, a long glorious mane of blonde, cascaded freely down her back and her long tanned legs stretched down into a pair of bare feet with matching pink toenail polish. The front yard, if you could even call it that, was a small patch of white pebbles with a couple of yucca plants and a pink plastic flamingo. Felicity breathed deeply. This was her mother, her roots, and she was tired of denying it. If Oliver wanted to know more about her, well here is it where it started.

Donna screamed and jumped in glee running up to greet the Porsche as it parked in front.

"Oh Felicity! I am so excited you two came to visit! What a wonderful surprise! I have so many plans!"

Felicity got out of the car and was quickly whisked into a firm and violent squeeze with Donna rocking her back and forth, Felicity's arms pinned against her side. Oliver hid a small smile and gently grabbed their bags out of the car and waited behind Felicity for the hugging to stop. Before he could greet Donna she had flung herself from Felicity into Oliver's arms. "Oliver!" and she squealed all over again. Oliver's hands were occupied with luggage and so he sat their awkwardly being most emphatically embraced by Felicity's mother.

"Oh my, he is all muscle" and she elbowed Felicity and without even trying to whisper said, "I bet that comes in handy" And aimed a flirtatious wink at both of them. Felicity wanted to die on the spot but Oliver just smiled. Remembering his manners he said, "Ms. Smoak it is very nice of you to allow us to visit on such short notice."

Donna turned around quickly, "Ms. Smoak?! Oh darling, you can call me Donna. Promise you will call me Donna."

Oliver nodded and shot a warm smile at her, "Yes, of course, Donna"

They walked up two long small stairs to the entrance and into the foyer, which was small but bright. The townhome was decorated like a cheap Floridian hotel with lots of white and glass and gaudy, brightly colored paintings on the walls. There was a narrow staircase that led upstairs, a dining room to the right with a small glass dinette and four tall backed white leather chairs around it. The hallway was short and led to a modest but cheerful kitchen on the left and a surprisingly large family room with cathedral ceilings. The back wall was floor to ceiling windows with a view of a large pond. The furniture was white leather and the coffee table was glass with gold edges. It wasn't fancy but it was clean, nice and you couldn't help but feel alive. Oliver instantly loved it. It was all very different from his upbringing - this house screamed love and joy and living. He set their luggage at the bottom of the stairs and followed Donna into the kitchen.

"I made us a pitcher of Long Island Iced Tea. You want some?" and Donna's eyebrows rose up in expectation. Oliver didn't drink, well hardly ever, but he suddenly found himself unable to say no to this woman. "Sure, that sounds great." Felicity had snuck into the small powder room downstairs and was just now emerging as Donna was pouring them both drinks. Donna handed them each a drink and raised her glass indicating she wanted to toast. Felicity and Oliver both raised their glasses and glanced at each other, Donna smiled brightly and said, "To true love and crazy road trips!" and she took a big swig of her drink. She almost skipped into the family room and called over her shoulder, "Come on you two I want to know ALL the details" and she flopped on the couch and sat cross legged, looking more like a young teenager than a mature mother.

Felicity took the lead and provided Donna with a rather sanitary version of the past three months, leaving out everything regarding the League of Assassins and Oliver turning into a black ninja. She did provide the details regarding Roy leaving, Ray and she breaking up and Oliver's proclamation of love and the desire to leave town in order to start fresh. Donna ate it all up.

"Oh Oliver! What a romantic! Well, if you want to know more about Felicity's past have I got pictures for you!"

Felicity's face flushed and she buried her face in her hands, "Oh God Mom, no!" It was too late though, Donna was up and rummaging through an old 1970's white laminate bureau behind the couch and begun pulling out photo albums. Within moments she had wedged herself in between Oliver and Felicity holding two large photo albums.

Donna flipped through the pages until she found the ones she was looking for – Felicity at eight years old. There she stood with two long brown braids on either side of her head, a large pair of black rimmed glasses, wearing pink shorts and a rainbow t-shirt. She was sitting at a table with a young dark-haired man, clean cut, also with dark glasses, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. In front of them was a kitchen table covered in wires and circuit boards. Donna gently touched the photo and said almost meekly, "This was Felicity with her father. The two of them were always building things together. Do you remember that Felicity?" And Felicity just quietly nodded having heard this same narrative so many times. Donna tried to perk up but there was still sadness to her voice, "They loved building things those two. I of course never understood what they were doing but Felicity loved it and her Dad loved the fact that she understood." Donna flipped some more pages until she found a picture of Felicity older – maybe 16. Her and Donna were standing in a casino. Donna's hair was full and large and blond and framed her small face. She was wearing gold tight shorts, with a gold bustier and gold stiletto heels. She was holding a tray and smiling. Felicity was in a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt and black Converse tennis shoes. She had braces, her hair was a darker shade of brown and she looked miserable. "Oh, this was right after we found out she had been accepted to MIT's early admission program for gifted and talented students." She placed her hand on Felicity's knee, "Oh darling, do you remember that? I was so proud of you that I made you come down to the casino so I could tell all the girls." Felicity was trying desperately to melt into the couch and disappear. She was humiliated at what Oliver was seeing. This felt more like "over-sharing" than actual sharing.

Donna kept flipping pages and pointing out pictures. Felicity on a pink bicycle with the same brown braids as maybe a 7 year old and then Felicity on a couch reading a book. The pictures of Felicity's father were few and far between but they were there and they were all happy pictures. These family photos gave Oliver the impression that for a short while Felicity had a very traditional and happy childhood. Felicity squirmed in her seat and lightly pinched Donna in the thigh.

"Oh! Yes, you two must be tired and probably want to get your things unpacked." She stood up and took the albums with her. "The guest bedroom is upstairs on the right. It's the 'yellow' room. I'm assuming you two are sleeping together so I just made up the one bed. You are sleeping together right?" Oliver stood stoic and Felicity just mumbled an agreement and headed for the stairs.

The room was small and in comparison to the grandiose atmosphere of the Queen mansion Felicity felt a bit self-conscious. The room held a full-size bed with a headboard that was covered in a bright floral print that had yellow sunflowers. The walls were painted a matching yellow color and the small white dresser that sat across from the foot of the bed had three drawers with sunflower knobs. The small closet on the wall by the door was mirrored and to the right was only one small window that only looked out onto the street. Oliver closed the door behind them and Felicity's shoulders slumped. She said nothing. He squeezed past her, setting their two bags inside the closet and sat on the edge of the bed. He patted the spot next to him indicating that she should come sit down. Felicity obeyed and leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her. "So, let it spill."

She sat up and faced him, opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it and buried her face into her hands. Oliver gently rubbed her back, "C'mon Felicity it's just me – what is wrong."

She looked up with tears welling in her eyes and her voice defeated. "This is me Oliver. My mother is a cocktail waitress, my father walked out on us when I was ten, I grew up in mobile homes and small apartments. Honestly, this is the nicest place my mother has ever lived and it looks like Florida threw up. This is what I come with and it isn't much."

Oliver carefully considered his words. "Felicity, my family has a lot of material wealth, and I can't lie about that. And I know you aren't going to believe me but I actually really like your Mom and I like her house." Felicity looked at Oliver in utter disbelief. He stood up so he could walk around but there was no place to walk so he just leaned against the dresser. "Your Mom is honest and funny and her love for you is very obvious. One of the things I love about you Felicity is your honesty. You never shy away from sharing your opinion and your funny. You have a light inside of you that reminds me of all the good in this world and you get that from your mother. So, I like your mom – because I like you."

Felicity sat up a little more and said, "really?"

Oliver resumed his spot next to her on the bed and grabbed her hands, "Really. And yes, the house looks like Florida threw up but isn't that what vacation is all about? Tacky bedding?" And they both laughed. He nudged her with his shoulder and she leaned in against him, "C'mon, let's get unpacked. I bet Donna has a wild night planned for us."

Felicity groaned and said, "You have no idea."


	11. Chapter 11

Donna Smoak did not disappoint. She had called in all of her favors to show her daughter and hopeful future son-in-law an all star Vegas night. After a several course dinner at Rio, blackjack at the Bellagio and drinks at the top of Stratosphere they had all tumbled home at around 3am, much to Donna's disappointment, having planned activities up until dawn. Felicity woke up with her mouth dry, her head hurting and her hair smelling of smoke. Oliver had fallen asleep in his clothes and lay prostrate across the bed surrounded by sunflower sheets. Felicity could smell coffee from downstairs. She was wearing one of Oliver's grey t-shirts and a pair of boy shorts, although she couldn't remember putting them on. She stumbled down to the kitchen to find her mother surprisingly alert and doing yoga in the family room. Her long tan legs stretching down onto a pink yoga mat, her blond hair tied up tight into a ponytail. Felicity's mother always had a rule that no matter how late you party you are always awake before noon. If you wake up after noon then you are just a lazy boozer. Felicity grabbed herself a cup of coffee in a mug that had flowers all over it and collapsed on the couch watching her mother. Donna stopped and looked at her daughter, "sweetheart, you look like crap" And indeed she did, her eyes had dark mascara streaking down her face and her skin was pale from not enough sleep and her hair looked like something had been nesting in it. However, Felicity was not yet prepared to manage any of that at the moment.

Donna sat down next to Felicity and exploded with enthusiasm over Felicity's new boyfriend. "Oliver is just perfect. Isn't he perfect? He's perfect. He has that whole brooding, strong, silent thing going on and charming" and before she could let anybody forget, "and rich." And she gently nudged Felicity. "Is he good in bed?"

Felicity took a deep breath, "He's great Mom and I'm going to pretend you didn't say that last part. Listen, I've ordered some packages and they should be arriving today. Is it okay that I'm having them delivered here?"

Donna sighed and let her shoulders slump, "You ordered parts to build a computer didn't you?"

Felicity sheepishly responded, "Yes, it's just that I've only had my tablet for the last couple of months and Diggle needs my help with some things and I can't really do what I need to do on my tablet and I knew we were coming down here and so I just thought.." and Donna cut her off, "Yes, sweetheart. It's fine. I just don't want you to spend the next four days fussing with all that computer stuff. I want to play more and have fun."

"I promise Mom, we'll still have fun."

Donna smiled, a mingling of pride and love, "Well then sweetheart you really need to clean up before Oliver sees you like that" and she returned to her downward facing dog on the yoga mat.

Oliver woke up shortly after Felicity left the bedroom. His head was pounding and his clothes stuck to his sweaty back. He stumbled out of the bed and down the hall into the small guest bathroom – complete parrot themed shower curtain and accessories. He let the cool water wash him clean of last night's antics. He popped two aspirin that he found in the medicine cabinet and with a towel wrapped around his waist he walked back to the bedroom. He opened up the dresser drawers looking for some space where he could stash his and Felicity's clothes when he discovered two boxes of photos. He lifted the lid off the first box and saw Felicity as a baby, naked and sitting in a splash pool in the middle of the yard. His heart warmed. He grabbed the box and sat on the edge of the bed digging through the pictures. Quickly he realized that these were all pictures taken during the time that Felicity's father was still part of the family.

Her father was very young looking in all of the pictures. His hair trimmed short, usually nicely dressed in slacks and a dress shirt. He frequently had a laptop or a computer nearby. His face was warm with a smile, his eyes sparkled blue and childish and always an arm around either his daughter or his wife. They looked so happy it made Oliver question what happened. Why had he just left so abruptly never to see Felicity again? As he progressed through the pictures the smile that seemed so easy started to disappear. And then something caught Oliver's eye – appearing on her father's laptop a logo sticker in the corner, a black oval with white block letters of DD.

Felicity came into the bedroom about that time wrapped in her own towel – the smeared makeup of earlier gone, her blond hair tightly braided down one-side of her head. She was surprised to find Oliver sitting on the bed with photos all around him.

"Oh. What did you find?" and she sat down next to him picking up a picture of her, her mother and her dad in front of a movie theater. "Hey, these are pictures of my Dad" Felicity's voice was equal parts happiness and sadness. She sat down and started flipping through the pictures. Oliver held the picture of her Dad with the initials in the palm of his hand.

"What was your Dad's name?"

"Ebenezer Dodd. Crazy eh? But he always went by Eddy"

"Why did he leave?"

"I don't know. He didn't exactly leave a note and Mom doesn't like talking about it."

Oliver stood up, palming the photo. He continued to dress, slipping the picture into his duffle as he grabbed some clean clothes. "I'm going to go say good morning to your Mom. I cleaned out a drawer for you to put your clothes." and with that he slipped out the bedroom door in search of Donna. Felicity stayed on the bed looking through the pictures. Her father was handsome and she could see that they shared the same nose, smile and hair color. His computers always nearby warmed Felicity's heart as she realized the things she had in common. She allowed herself to fantasize about her father meeting Oliver and what he might think. Would he have liked Oliver? Would he have been proud of Felicity's graduation from MIT? Would they have developed a special way of talking technology between the two of them? These are things she would never know. It had been a long time since Felicity tried to find her father but now, with all of her new facial recognition software, perhaps she should try again.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note: I know the updates are coming slow - sorry. I was on vacation for two weeks and then my mother ended up in the hospital. I think I have about another 2-4 chapters left to write. I don't know though - thanks for your patience**_

The doorbell rang and Felicity raced down the stairs screaming like a teenager, "It's for me!" and she flung open the front door to greet the package deliveryman. Felicity's face was flushed and she stood in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt jumping lightly on her toes. "Are you Felicity Smoak?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, I have a couple of packages for you."

"Oh yes you do" and Felicity bobbed up and down on her toes trying not to squeal in delight. After the last box was brought into the house and placed near the dining room Felicity started opening them up and placing the different parts of her new computer on the dining room table, mentally working out her plan for the day.

Oliver and Donna stood in the doorway sipping their coffee and staring appreciatively at Felicity's enthusiasm over her technology. Oliver smirked, "Donna do you play golf?" Donna smiled and nodded knowingly. "Great. Any good courses around here?" And Donna straightened up, "Why yes Oliver, there are many. You want to go play a round?" and her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I think Felicity is going to be quite busy today and perhaps you and I should find our own source of fun."

Donna did her own little jump of excitement and clapped her hands together, "Oh yes! Let's go!"

Oliver leaned over Felicity and kissed her on the cheek, "I'm taking your mother golfing. We will be back later today" and Felicity murmured her acknowledgement and continued unpacking her parts.

Felicity spent the day assembling her computer and running a variety of scans and checks for both Damien and Ray. At about three in the afternoon she stood and arched her back. She ached. Her head hurt, her wrists were sore and she had accomplished very little outside of just getting her system up and running. She picked up her phone and dialed Diggle.

"Hey Felicity! Where are you two at?"

"Well, we took a detour down to Vegas to visit my mother"

Diggle's voice was full of surprise and amusement, "Your mother?"

"Yeah, Oliver said he wanted to know more about my roots. You know what's weird Diggle? They sort of get along, I mean they like each other – Oliver and my Mom. I don't know - he says she helps him remember what it is like being a human."

"So, did you find anything for me?"

"Well not as much as I would like. I ran some satellite scans for Ray's nano-tech and I did find some activity back at his apartment."

"That's not possible. I've been to Ray's place several times – it's empty"

"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe look for something small? I mean I know that sounds obvious but that nano-tech could be easily hidden in something else. Listen, I'll try to work on an app that will let you use your phone as a personal scanner."

"That would be awesome. Any luck with our Damien Darhk friend?"

"No – none at all. Diggle it's strange. This guy is a ghost. I've used all my normal tricks and it is as if he doesn't exist. I'll keep searching though and I'll let you know if I find anything."

"That's great. Listen Felicity, I'm not trying to cut short your vacation, but we could really use you back here. Any idea of when you two might be returning."

"I don't know Digg – maybe in a couple of weeks. What about Oliver?"

"What about him?"

"Do you want him back too?"

"Don't go there Felicity. I realize that a proclamation of love and a romantic getaway was enough for you to forgive, but it won't work with me. He violated my trust in a serious way"

"I know Digg – I'm not trying to diminish what has happened but I hate seeing you two not talking to each other."

"Another time Felicity. But not now."

And with that they said their goodbyes and hung up. The house was strangely quiet and Felicity stretched and moaned and decided to go upstairs and lie down, maybe even take a nap. She slowly plodded upstairs and collapsed backwards onto the bed knocking over the box of photos Oliver had left out.

She started picking up the pictures slowly taking her time to look at her Dad. She thought that she missed him but since being back in Vegas she started to wonder if she just missed the idea of him. The last time she saw him he had tucked her into bed, and they had worked through their nightly math puzzles together and then he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Rest your brain angel". He had done the same thing every night for years. When she woke up in the morning he was gone and her mother was sitting at the kitchen table in her cocktail waitress uniform crying, black mascara smeared down her face looking like some sort of scary clown showgirl.

Things got tough for Felicity and her Mom after that. They lost the house and ended up renting a tiny apartment in a complex for low-income families. The apartment complex was filled with drug users and other single mother families but it kept them in a good school district, which Donna insisted. She took a second waitressing job and Felicity rarely saw her. Felicity started getting herself to school, cooking her own meals, doing her own homework, and finding ways to manage things on her own. When her mother was home she was exhausted, although she did her best to hide it. They would pretend that they had hit the jackpot at the casino and list off all the things that they would spend their money on – money they would never have. Her mother loved her but she never understood Felicity and there was little time for them to build a relationship after that – it became all about survival. Her mother cried when she left for MIT but Felicity was just relieved to leave it all behind, including her mother and the memory of a father from whom she never heard.

The memory of Felicity's resentment and disdain for her mother made her feel sick and she cried quietly out of shame. It was only now, after the past three years with Oliver, that she realized all that her mother had given her – self-reliance, strength of emotion, and even a sense of fun. Her mother deserved her respect and love – not her anger. Felicity's eyes grew heavier. She tossed the photos back in the box and closed her eyes – no more memories for today.


	13. Chapter 13

Oliver and Donna stopped at the first hole of the Westbrook Country Club golf course. Donna stepped out in her pink golf shoes and short white golf skirt. Her visor was pulled down and her blond ponytail bounced down her back. As Donna grabbed her club from the back of the cart Oliver got out and asked, "Do you mind if I ask you about Felicity's Dad? She never seems to want to discuss it and I feel like it's a missing piece that I need to understand." Donna let out a large sigh and approached the tee. She set her ball and looked down the green sizing up both the shot and her answer, "Well, Felicity doesn't like to acknowledge how much her father leaving has affected her." Oliver waited; knowing there was more coming but didn't want to push for the answer. Donna swung the club back and hit the ball, driving it down the center of the green setting her up for the perfect second shot. She stepped back for Oliver and smiled, "Eddie was amazing. I've never a met a man like him before or since. We met at this small casino that I was working. He used to always order a single bottle of beer that he milked and he played blackjack. After awhile he would make a point of sitting in my service area. We talked. He seemed lonely and quiet. Unlike the other guys who try to peak down my shirt or grab my skirt Eddie was kind and considerate. He stood out. "

Oliver placed his tee and took a swing slicing dramatically to the left and landing at the edge of a sand trap. He shook his head and smiled, "It's been a long time since I've played." Donna giggled and got back into the golf cart.

Donna continued her story, "Anyways, after awhile he asked me for a coffee and well, the rest is history". Donna smiled as if that was the end of the story. They stopped the cart and they both got out. Oliver stood back while Donna got ready for her second shot, which she launched down the course where it took a gentle bounce onto the green within four feet of the hole. Oliver sighed knowing that he was getting badly beaten. She slipped her club back into the bag and they went off to find Oliver's ball stuck in the sand. "Did the two of you marry?"

Donna shook her head, "Eddie and I? Nah. We were in love and before we knew it I was pregnant with Felicity and Eddie was so excited. "

"Did he have a job?"

"Well, sort of. I mean I didn't really ask him what he did. I wasn't interested" and Donna waved her hands as if it was a trivial issue. "In hindsight I guess I should have been more interested." And Oliver cocked his head to one side and shot Donna a questioning look. "Well, he was always tinkering with computers and things I didn't understand so I never asked. You know, like Felicity. Only he was using all that tech to scam the casinos and the mob or somebody. When I met him he had been counting cards, which of course I didn't know, I just knew he won a lot. And then after that I stopped asking." They pulled up to the sand trap and Oliver stepped out while Donna stayed in the cart and propped her feet up on the dash of the cart. "I guess the mob got wise to his activity because one night he just left." Oliver took his shot and managed to get the ball back up on the green but he was still at least one more shot away from being able to putt. "Didn't he leave a note?" Oliver climbed back into the cart and they drove on to his ball.

Donna took a deep breath, "Yes, he said his past had caught up with him. He suggested Felicity and I move, change our names, start over, but I couldn't see the point. Felicity was so upset about her Dad leaving that I couldn't bring myself to uproot her entirely and turn her world more upside down than it already was – we moved across town. We rented a dive apartment but we survived." They found Oliver's ball and he made a quick shot to get himself on the putting green and they cruised on down to Donna's ball.

"It must have been hard for the both of you." Donna didn't meet Oliver's eyes. He had hit a tender spot and he could tell. She took a deep breath and leaned on her putter. "It was harder on me physically – taking two jobs, trying to find tutors and keeping up with Felicity's ever growing academic demands but Felicity is the one who bore the brunt of it. She went from two parents to really zero." Donna swung her putter and easily sunk her ball. She looked at Oliver and smiled, "We survived. She and I – we are survivors, that is what we do." Oliver nodded and conceded defeat on the hole. They got back in the cart and drove to the next hole, "Is Felicity a lot like her Dad?" Donna giggled and nodded her head. Her ponytail swinging back and forth, "Oh my yes! Oh, she gets the whole babbling thing from me, but that brain? The need to solve the problem, the puzzle, to figure out the unknown to never letting a question unanswered – oh yes, that's Eddie. And the dark hair" and she winked at Oliver knowingly. Donna smiled, patted Oliver's knee and whispered, "By the way, I'm totally winning" and she skipped out of the cart and shot Oliver a mischievous smile.

They had caught up to another group of golfers and so they waited on the trail for them to finish the hole. Oliver absently knocked his club against his shoes as he and Donna waited. "I was looking at some old photos of Eddie and Felicity. She seemed really happy."

"He adored her. They understood each other. They had their own language – talking about coding and things related to computers. I never understood it. They had their own world. They would work math problems together and puzzles and build stuff. I don't think Eddie could have been happier – even if Felicity had turned out to be a boy. As a matter of fact I think he was more proud of the fact that she understood his world AND was a girl." The golfers moved on and Donna grabbed her club and walked towards the tee.

"I noticed that in a lot of the pictures Eddie had a sticker on his computer with the initials 'DD'. What was that from?"

Donna set her tee, took aim and let the ball rip down the course. After watching it fall in the middle of the fairway she turned to Oliver, "what?"

"The initials 'DD' – I saw it in several of the pictures of Felicity and Eddie."

Donna paused for a moment and then her face lit up in recognition, "OH, yes, that was his hacker name. You know like CB radio operators – they all have a 'handle' – I'm sure Felicity has one. Do you know it?"

Oliver shook his head. He had never really asked Felicity about her hacker life and he was now feeling like the worst boyfriend ever.

"Well, Eddie's handle was 'Damien Darhk' – he said it made him sound like the devil himself." Donna giggled, shook her head and got back in the cart as she waited for Oliver to take his turn. Oliver was stunned. It suddenly became very clear why Damien Darhk had turned up in Starling City and Oliver was starting to think it might be time for he and Felicity to head back home.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note: This is a long chapter guys. I'm thinking two or three chapters are left to write - hard to judge.**_

It was close to 3:00 in the afternoon when Oliver and Donna finally walked back into the townhome. A combination of the sun and listening to Donna's rambling conversation and his utter defeat in golf made Oliver sleepy. He trudged upstairs to find Felicity curled up on the bed asleep, her long hair covering her face, her arms wrapped around herself. She seemed peaceful, and relaxed. He gently stroked her hair out of her face and delicately brought the lightweight yellow blanket that had been on the foot of the bed over her shoulders and rubbed her back gently. There was so much he didn't know about her. So much she didn't know about him. Were they crazy to think they could build any kind of a relationship on a foundation of so many secrets? Were they secrets or was it just that they never had the time to share the truth? He wasn't sure but he knew one thing he needed to do before Felicity woke up. He grabbed her phone off the nightstand and walked into the other upstairs bedroom and shut the door.

The phone rang once when he heard John's voice, "Felicity! Please tell me you have some information for me."

"It's me John."

"Oliver – I have nothing to say to you right now."

"Don't hang up! I know who Damien Darhk is and why he's in Starling City"

There was a long pause and so Oliver continued, "Listen, I know you are still angry and hurt and I hope someday you and I can work that out but that is not why I'm calling. I knew if I called on my phone you wouldn't answer and I need to tell you something before I tell Felicity."

"It's that bad eh?"

"Damien Darhk is Felicity's dad and I'm guessing he's in Starling City looking for her."

"Oh my God! Oliver, are you serious? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Felicity's dad was a hacker who learned to work the system at casinos and banks – he was an online bank robber really. His hacker handle was Damien Darhk – I have a picture of him with his laptop and the initials 'DD' on it. I asked Donna about it and she willingly told me – she has no idea."

"Donna? You're calling her mother Donna?"

"John, we're not talking about that right now. At this point I think he's harmless. He's looking for his daughter and from all accounts he loved Felicity so I don't think his intention is to hurt her. The question is why would he suddenly turn up now? If he knew where she was this whole time why now?"

"Maybe because he caught wind that she's dating the new 'Demon's Head' or that she's gotten herself involved with 'The Arrow'?"

"You think he's come for me? Not necessarily for Felicity?"

"Listen man, if I found out Sara grew up and started dating a vigilante you bet I'd show up for a little fatherly discussion."

"This is your call John – it's your team now. What is our play? Should Felicity and I come back? Stay away?"

There was silence while John considered the options.

"Have you told Felicity about her Dad?"

"No, not yet. But I think we'll need to talk about it soon."

"Okay, you have your awkward conversation about her family tree and I'll talk to Lyla about putting some security in place for you guys. Yeah, I think you two need to start talking about your return to Starling City."

"Thanks John. I'll keep you posted. And listen man, I really do want to have that talk. I want to make things right between us."

"Felicity tell you to say that?"

"No, I meant it when I said you're my brother. You said to me years ago that you would always be there to remind me of who I am – and it was that idea alone that sustained me while in Nanda Parbat – I wouldn't have survived that crucible without your voice in my head."

"Yeah, well we can talk later."

And with that the line went dead.

Oliver rubbed his head and took a deep breath. There was no escaping the trouble of Starling City – not any longer. He slipped into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. He stood in the shower thinking of all the things he knew about Felicity and the ever-growing list of the things he didn't know. How could he love a woman he knew so little about – her whole life up to her move to Starling City was a mystery to Oliver - a collection of fragments and isolated facts. On the other hand did he have a right to argue when there were five years of his life of which he had shared very little. He got out of the shower and walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around him. Felicity was awake but still lounging in bed not quite ready to get up. She raised her eyebrows and with her eyes raked over Oliver's body. "Well hello Mr. Queen. How was your golfing trip?"

Oliver rummaged in the dresser for some clothes and hid a smile, "Well, if you must know, your mother kicked my ass." And with that he put on a pair of boxer briefs under his towel and threw the towel into the corner of the room. He dove onto the bed lying next to Felicity. "You want to say something about your mother beating me in golf?"

Felicity turned to her side and smiled, tracing the remaining beads of water down Oliver's chest, no longer noticing the map of scars. "I should have warned you that she's been playing with her lawyer clients for years" and a light giggle erupted out of her mouth.

"Any luck today with your new computer?"

Felicity fell back and wrapped her arm over her eyes in frustration, "AAARGH! No. I mean I got the computer up and running but no luck finding anything on Damien Darhk"

"Felicity." And Oliver tugged gently on her t-shirt. She turned on her side and looked at him. "Felicity, I've been thinking that there is an awful lot we don't know about each other"

Felicity sat up and looked seriously at him, brushing her hair behind her ears. "What are you saying?"

Oliver sat up too so they could look eye to eye. He grabbed her hands and held them in his, rubbing her fingers lightly. "I don't know what I'm saying. Here we are back to the same issue – I know what kind of sushi you like, and that you are allergic to peanuts and that you can handle yourself in a fight but I don't know anything about your dreams, your hopes, what you envisioned for your life and what you hope for your future."

Felicity could feel her heart beating. This sounded an awful lot like a break up speech and she wasn't prepared to have her heart broken so soon. "You're scaring me Oliver – we've known that for awhile – I mean we've known that we don't know. I'm just saying I don't know either. What do you want?"

"yeah, I guess I don't know. There was a time when I imagined that I would grow up, take over for my Dad, marry some country club daughter and continue the Queen traditions but now…Once I was on the island I never thought I'd live long enough to have a future."

Felicity sighed. "Well, I never thought I'd get married. My mother never married and boyfriends never really stuck around. After awhile you sort of just resign yourself to being single. My work is my partner."

Oliver looked into her eyes, "And now?"

"I don't know. I always thought my computers would be my passion but you've ignited another passion in me – a desire to save my city. A need to do more than just help executives salvage their email accounts."

"And marriage and kids?"

Felicity's heart jumped. "I'm not ready for that conversation Oliver. Where is this coming from? Why are you asking these questions now?"

Oliver reached over the bed and grabbed the picture of Felicity's father from his duffel bag. "You loved your Dad didn't you Felicity?"

"Yeah. He was funny and kind and I don't know, I looked up to him – until he walked out on us"

"Did you ever go looking for him?"

"A couple of times but I didn't have any luck and then after awhile I stopped wanting to know."

"I think I know where he is"

"What?" Felicity's heart was in a full gallop and she could feel her cheeks flushing and her mouth going dry. "How would you know where he is?"

Oliver showed her the picture he was holding and pointed his finger to the decal on the laptop. "Felicity, do you have a hacker name?"

She looked at the decal in confusion and back up to Oliver's face, "huh? Oh. Yeah – it's uh 'City of Light' – you know a play on the name 'Feli-city' Why?"

"Your dad had a hacker name too – his name was 'Damien Darhk"

Felicity jumped off the bed and started pacing – her hand over her mouth trapping a scream that she could feel boiling inside of her.

"Just because of a sticker on a laptop?! You are jumping to conclusions Oliver!"

Oliver didn't move. Felicity was a scared cat and he feared one wrong move and she would bolt out the door. "Your mother told me – it was his hacker handle when he was still living in Vegas. That is why you've never found him. He's great at covering his tracks."

Felicity was breathing shallow and fast but silent. Oliver could tell she was processing information. Give her time he thought – let her work the problem. After several long minutes of her pacing she stopped and turned to him, "He's looking for me isn't he?! That's why he's in Starling City?"

"John and I suspect he is either looking for you or me – we're not sure. But either way it is probably best that we start thinking about heading back home."

Felicity picked up a ceramic flamingo on the dresser, tossed it in her hands and then threw it against the wall where it shattered into a hundred pieces. "WHY NOW! WHY WOULD HE SHOW UP NOW? AFTER ALL THIS TIME – I'M FINALLY HAPPY, I FINALLY HAVE THINGS SETTLED WHY NOW?" Hot tears rolled down her face and Oliver's heart broke for her. He had never seen Felicity so completely unsettled.

"John and I have a couple of theories but they are just guesses."

"You talked to John?"

"Yes, I called him before you woke up. He seems to think that perhaps Damien has shown up to give me the fatherly speech regarding my intentions towards his daughter – or to kill me. It's hard to really know, but we figure Damien would come out of hiding to see you."

Felicity's shoulders hung down and she leaned against the wall. Her heart and head ached. Oliver stood and wrapped her in his arms. "Listen, I'm right here. We will face this together. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Felicity suddenly pulled away from Oliver with a look of shock on her face, "Oh my God Oliver! We have to tell my mother. I mean, what if he comes looking for her? I mean she has to know, she could be in danger or me or any of us."

Oliver immediately recognized the threat but he also realized how hard Donna would be to control if she knew the truth. "I'm not sure we should tell her everything Felicity, but bringing her back to Starling City with us might be a good idea. It's best to keep her close."

Felicity's face softened, "Yes, I would feel much better if she came back with us. You don't mind?"

Oliver furrowed his brow, "Why would I mind? She's your mother. Of course you want to keep her safe."

"I just mean we don't even know our living arrangements and now we'll be trying to accommodate my mom and I…" and just then there was a knock on the bedroom door and Donna poked her head inside the room.

"Are you two alright? I heard a crash and a..Oh no! My flamingo!" and she walked over and started picking up the pieces of her ceramic flamingo that were now scattered on the white carpet.

Felicity's voice became stern as she guided her mother to the bed, "Mom, we need to talk"


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note: I'm so very sorry about the delay. My mother has been in the hospital (true story) and my life has been hectic as I've been running back and forth between hospital and house. This is a short chapter (sorry again) but I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter. Hang in there kiddos**_

"Felicity you are being ridiculous" Donna stood up and walked to the bedroom door shaking her head the whole time. Oliver and Felicity had given her a very sanitized version of the truth that mainly centered on the idea that Felicity's Dad was in town and that she should come with them to protect Felicity. "Your father adores you and the last person he would want to see is me. No, no, no. If you and Oliver need to go back to Starling City then go, but I'm not going with you. No, you two love birds need to be on your own." And with that she waved between the two of them, "I was young once and in love. How do you think Felicity happened?" and she giggled. "I know what happens between two young, healthy people." And she wiggled her eyebrows at Oliver. Felicity hung her head in her hands and shook her head out of embarrassment hoping that when she looked up Oliver wouldn't be staring at her. "Oh Felicity don't be embarrassed. We're all adults. We all know about sex." And with that Donna flounced downstairs. Felicity finally gave up hiding and looked up through her fingers to see Oliver smirking.

He walked over and grabbed one of her hands and interlocked his fingers with hers. He pulled her close and her forehead rested against his chest. He gently stroked her hair and let her breathe for a minute. "Okay, new plan." Felicity let a nervous giggle slip from her lips.

She pulled away and slumped down on her bed. "Do we have to go back?"

Oliver understood exactly what Felicity was feeling. Their time together had been exactly what he craved. The quiet moments, the security of knowing that each night he would have her by his side. They had achieved a certain level of normalcy and he wasn't looking forward to inviting the reality of Starling City back into their lives. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her pulling her close.

"Okay. So we know we need to go back, but we don't have to go back today; or even tomorrow. Why don't you keep working on tracking down Ray and Damien from here – we have a great resource – your mother and all of these pictures. People don't change that much Felicity. The best way to track your Dad is to learn as much about him as we can. The life that he left behind."

Felicity sat up a bit straighter and turned to face Oliver, a look of recognition washing over her, "I need to think like me." Oliver just cocked his head to one side unsure of what Felicity was talking about.

She stood up and started pacing. "It all makes sense! My mother has always said that my Dad and I are exactly alike. So, if I was going to run a League of Assassins type of organization and go into hiding what would I do?"

"Felicity, I'm not sure that line of thinking will work. You're not an evil person – there isn't an evil bone in your body – how are you possibly going to think like a super villain?"

"I'm not! I'm going to think like a super hacker – that is what my Dad and I have in common. He wouldn't abandon technology he would bend it to his will. He would figure out a way to make technology work for him – he would control the information, hide the information, distort all the data points. He would muddy his trail everywhere he went."

"I don't understand Felicity. What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that I shouldn't look for clean data – I shouldn't look in the usual places. I need to look for glitches, missteps, tiny virus issues, small hacks – things that would go unnoticed by anybody looking for a super villain but enough that if strung together could tell a story" Felicity's cheeks were flushed and Oliver could sense her excitement.

"Okay, so we will stay with your Mom a little longer"

"Oliver I need you to go through all these boxes of pictures and look for clues. Anything – posters in the background, any pictures of his computers, laptops, work stations – anything like that."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to hack back into the Palmer Industries email client and look to see if anybody has been monitoring my email, besides Ray Palmer" and with that Felicity turned her head, swinging her ponytail behind her and bounced down the stairs, leaving Oliver with a pile of photographs.


	16. Chapter 16

The first thing Felicity did was hack into her old Palmer Tech email account. If her Dad were looking for her he would do all the things Felicity would do – following email accounts would be at the top of her list. It was easy enough to hack into the Palmer system since she had been the one who built most of it and she knew where all the back doors were hidden. Felicity looked at all the messages that had been sent to her account after she quit to see if anything unusual might pop out and that's when she saw it – an email from Ray – with no subject. Felicity opened up the message and her jaw fell open,

"I'm sending you this email because nobody will check your account once you've left except you. I can't say much now but know that I'm alive. I'm working on a glitch with my nano-tech. I'm sort of playing the ultimate game of hide and seek. Don't worry, I am fine. You could say I'm as snug as a bug in a rug. I hope you and Oliver are enjoying your vacation."

Nothing about that email made Felicity feel comfortable. Why would Ray go out of his way to tell her that he was fine and for Felicity to enjoy her vacation? No, something was definitely wrong. She was going to need to work on that scanner for Diggle sooner than she thought. Everything else about her email looked clean and then she saw it – a small data file. Nothing major, nothing that would cause alarms or make me wonder – almost like a part of a file that might have been left behind after a system update but Felicity knew better. She opened up the file and saw that it was bouncing back to an IP address in Hong Kong and from there she wasn't sure. Felicity kept digging. Her father was out there and he was not going to hide from her, of that she was sure.

The sun sank low in the sky and Felicity was only remotely aware of the sound of her mother and Oliver eating and cleaning the dishes and then getting ready for bed. It was 11:00pm when Oliver sauntered into the dining room and pulled out a high back chair and sat down staring at Felicity.

"Any luck?"

She rubbed her eyes under her glasses and leaned her head back. "I don't know. Ray sent me a cryptic message, which I think for sure means he's not well. I found some tracer information but the data packet is getting bounced through dozens of IP addresses and I can't figure out where it originated and I feel like I'm playing a game of duck, duck, goose with my Dad only he's way ahead of me."

Oliver stood up and walked behind Felicity rubbing her shoulders trying to ease the tension out of her neck. Her shoulders instantly dropped under his touch. He rubbed his thumb up her neck and under hair and then let his fingers slide down her arms, gently squeezing and rubbing as he went. He finally pulled the chair out and held out his hand for Felicity to stand up. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close against him.

"I've packed our bags. We will head back to Starling City tomorrow."

"You did? What about my Mom?"

"We can't force her to come but I've left her with a pre-paid airline and ticket and told her to come and visit when she felt like it. I know you are worried Felicity. Worried about Ray, and the city and I know you need to be back in your own office with your own tools. And as much as I'd like to keep you completely to myself I know that isn't fair to you. So tomorrow we will head back home."

Felicity stood on her toes and flung her arms around Oliver's neck. "Oh Oliver!" and she kissed him passionately holding him as tight as she could. "I love you for understanding!"

"I love you too. Now, c'mon, it's our last night together and free of obligation, I'm not going to let you waste it in front of the computer."

Felicity bit her bottom lip, "Where are we going?"

Oliver gently kissed her ear and whispered, "I'm taking you to bed and making sure you don't get much sleep"


End file.
